The senior Democratic and Republican senators in charge of setting annual transportation spending levels today urged the leader of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop a more comprehensive plan for using the White House’s high-speed rail program to spur the development of viable U.S. train networks. FRA chief Joseph Szabo (l.) and Amtrak CEO […]

That is the thesis posited in a new investigation from the Center for Public Integrity, which sent a reporter to sprawl-saturated South Florida to examine how much of a return the transportation construction industry is getting on its multi-million-dollar contributions to congressional campaigns. In a time of sluggish economic recovery, when federal dollars can make […]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lisa Jackson today told House members that she would soon begin work on new auto fuel-efficiency rules for the year 2017 and beyond, responding to calls from carmakers searching for certainty — and warily eyeing the new fuel standards being crafted in California. (Photo: The Weekly Driver) The political and […]

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is linked most closely in the popular consciousness with aviation security, but its mandate also extends to protecting rail and transit systems — a job that needs to get more attention from the agency, according to senior senators from both parties. Security on New York City’s subway, above, was boosted […]

The U.S. DOT today released its first round of guidance for the so-called "TIGER II" program, a $600 million pot of competitive transportation grants considered a quasi-sequel to the popular $1.5 billion merit-based fund included in last year’s stimulus law. A ribbon-cutting in Dubuque, Iowa, where a broad revamping of downtown development won TIGER grant […]

In its second Earth Day release, the U.S. DOT today unveiled a 600-page analysis of transportation emissions mandated by Congress in the 2007 energy bill. In addition to weighing in on many potential tactics for limiting transport’s contribution to the changing climate, the document notably recommits the Obama administration to that goal at a time […]

Comparing the average emissions per passenger mile of various transport modes. (Chart: FTA) While state DOTs marked Earth Day by depicting roads as unsung heroes of livability, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the transit industry celebrated in their own ways by releasing reports on local rail and bus systems’ roles in reducing U.S. transport […]

As the Obama administration’s inter-agency sustainable communities project commands a growing share of attention and funding in Washington, the response from conservatives and business lobbies has been decidedly less than enthusiastic. Washington D.C.’s bike sharing stations, above, got a prominent mention in the AASHTO report. (Photo: afagen via Flickr) When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued […]